Chapter 17
Spike’s warehouse. He was watching the video of Buffy and Kendra’s fight. “Here it comes. Rewind that. Let’s see that again.”
The minion rewound the tape while Spike strolled to another monitor.
“She’s tricky. Baby likes to play.” The scene where Buffy staked the vampire with the sign replayed. “You see that? The way she stakes him with that thing? That’s what’s called resourceful. Rewind it again.”
“Miss Edith needs her tea,” Drusilla said.
“C’mere, poodle.” He held his hand out to her.
She took it. “Do you love my insides? The parts you can’t see?”
“Eyeballs to entrails, my sweet. That’s why I’ve got to study this Slayer. Once I know her I can kill her. And once I kill her you can have your run of Sunnyhell. Get strong again.”
“Don’t worry. Everything’s switching. Outside to inside. It makes her weak.”
“Really? Did my pet have a vision?”
“Do you know what I miss? Leeches.”
“Come on, talk to Daddy. This thing that makes the Slayer weak? When is it?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow’s Halloween. Nothing happens on Halloween.”
“Someone’s come to change it all. Someone new.”
****
Buffy’s room. She and Willow were prepping. Buffy stood in front of her long mirror in a clingy top and miniskirt. The ghost costume sat unwrapped on her dressing table.
“Okay, Willow, come out. You can’t hide in there all night.”
“O-okay, but, but promise you won’t laugh?”
“I promise.”
Willow opened the door and came out in the gown and a brunette wig already styled to match.
“Wow! You’re a dish! I mean, really.”
“But this isn’t me.”
“That’s the point.” She turned Willow to the mirror. “Look, Halloween is the night that not you is you, but not you. Y’know?” The doorbell rang. “Oh! That’s Xander. Are you ready?”
“Yeah. O-o-okay.”
“Cool! I can’t wait for the boys to go non-verbal when they see you!” She nudged Willow ahead of her, grabbing the ghost sheet along before leaving her room.
Downstairs, Buffy opened the door.
“Private Harris reporting for--” He saw Willow. “Willow! Lady of Willowdom, Duchess of Willonia, I am in awe! I completely renounce spandex!”
“Thanks.” She tried to curtsy.
Buffy put the ghost costume over her head.
“That’s a fine ‘boo’ you got there, Buff.”
“Keeps Snyder off my ass until the kids are done.”
****
At school, the children had arrived. Buffy waited for her charges. Snyder brought them to her.
“This is your group, Summers. No need to speak to them. The last thing they need is your influence. Just bring them back in one piece and I won’t expel you.”
Buffy bent down to kid-level. “Hi.”
“Ah-ah!”
She rolled her eyes.
Xander and Larry were in the hall. Larry came as a pirate.
“Where’s your bodyguard, Harris? Curling her hair?” He jumped at Xander, making him flinch, laughed in his face, and left.
Xander pointed his rifle at him.
Oz had his guitar out at his locker. Cordelia was wearing a cat suit.
“Oz. Oz.”
“Hey, Cordelia. Geeze, you’re like a great big cat.”
“It’s my costume. Are you guys playing tonight?”
“Yeah, at the Shelter Club.”
“Is Mr. I'm-the-lead-singer-I'm-so-great-I-don't-have-to-show-up-for-my-date-or-even-call gonna be there?”
“Yeah, y'know, he's just going by 'Devon' now.”
“Well, you can tell him that I don't care, and that I didn't even mention it. And that I didn't even see you. So that's just fine.”
“So what do I tell him?”
“Nothing! Geeze! Get with the program.” She walked off in a huff.
“Why can’t I meet a nice girl like that?”
Willow came down the hall. Oz turned around and bumped right into her.
“Oh! I’m sorry.”
“Sorry.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry.”
They continued their separate ways.
Xander had his kids standing at attention. “Okay, on sleazing extra candy: tears are key. Tears will normally get you the double-bagger. You can also try the old 'you missed me' routine, but it's risky. Only go there for chocolate. Understood?”
They nodded.
“Okay, troops.” He turned and faced down the hall. “Let’s move out.”
****
It was dark now. Willow’s group left a house. She crouched down to see what they got. “What did Mrs. Davis give you?”
They pulled out toothbrushes.
“Let’s hit one more house. We still have a few more minutes before I need to get you back.”
****
In the back room at Ethan’s, he wove a spell. “Janus, evoco vestram animam. Exaudi meam causam. Carpe noctem pro consilio vestro. Veni, appare et nobis monstra quod est infinita potestas.”
Janus, I invoke your spirit. Hear my plea. Seize the night for your own reason. Come, appear and show to us that which is infinite power.
Buffy followed her charges along the porch to the door. “C’mon, guys.”
The kid wearing a green monster mask rang the bell and stepped back. An old lady answered the door. He pulled the mask down over his face.
“Trick-or-treat!”
“Oh, my goodness, aren’t you adorable!”
Ethan continued to chant, “Persona se corpum et sanguium commutandum est. Vestra sancta praesentia concrescet viscera. Janus! Sume noctem!”
The mask transforms itself into flesh and blood. Your holy presence curdles the heart. Janus! Take the night!
A wind began to blow.
Buffy sensed something wasn’t quite right.
The old lady looked into her empty candy bucket. “Oh, dear! Am I all out? I could’ve sworn I had more candy.”
The kid wearing a red rubber cap with horns morphed into a horned, red skinned monster.
“I’m sorry, mister monster. Maybe I--” The kid with the green mask changed into a monster also and grabbed the lady by the neck and began to choke her. The other kids screamed and ran away.
“Let her go!” Buffy yelled. She grabbed him by the back of his shirt.
The red monster attacked the green one. The green one fought back.
“Stop it!” The lady ran into the house and slammed the door shut. “Hey!”
Buffy tried to get between the kids, but started to feel weak. She staggered along the wall. “Ohmigod! Can’t breathe…”
She collapsed.
****
Xander watched parents and children run around him in the street. It was chaos. Things were being thrown and windows broken.
He jerked back like he was hit by something, bent over slightly, looked down, and lowered his toy rifle. Slowly, he straightened back up and surveyed the scene around him. He raised his rifle again and cradled the automatic M-16 in his hands. He shouldered the weapon and spun around, scanning for a target. When he didn’t immediately find one, he took the rifle from his shoulder and held it ready.
Buffy stood. Her body was still on the porch. “Oh, crap, I’m a real ghost.
She heard gunfire and looked around. “Xander?” She ran up behind him. “Xander!
He spun around and pointed the M-16 at her.
“It’s me, Buffy!”
“I don’t know any Buffy.”
“Xander, quit messing around. This is no time to be funny.”
“What the hell’s going on here?”
“You really don’t know me?”
“Lady, I suggest you find cover.” He started to leave.
She got in his way. “No, wait!” Xander walked right through her. “Oh!”
He turned around and pointed the rifle at her again. “What are you?”
“Xander, listen to me. I'm on your side, I swear! Something crazy is happening. I was dressed as a ghost for Halloween and now I am one. And you were a soldier, and now I guess you're a real Army guy.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
A monster appeared across the street, growling. Xander pointed his rifle at it. It ran away. Buffy jumped in front of him.
“No! Don’t shoot! That’s still a kid!”
“Step out of the way!”
“No guns! That’s an order!” He lowered the rifle. “We need to find Kendra and—Willow!” She ran across the street to Willow. “Will, are you okay?”
The monster was back with a friend. They roared. Xander shouldered his M-16 again and took aim. “This could be a situation.”
“We have to get to safety.”
Willow fainted and fell to the ground.
Xander fired off a couple dozen rounds at the approaching monsters. They turned and ran. He lowered his rifle.
Buffy knelt beside Willow, propped against a tree. “Willow, are you alright?”
“What?”
“Are you hurt?” Xander asked.
Willow sat up. “Willow?”
Buffy looked up at Xander. “She’s not Willow.”
“Who’s Willow?”
“Oh, this is fun. What year is this?”
Xander helped Willow up.
“1775, I believe. I-I don’t understand. Who are you?”
“Your friends.”
“F-friends of whom? Y-your dress... Everything is strange! How did I come to be here?”
“Breathe, okay, breathe. You're gonna faint again.”
A monster came around the tree behind Willow and roared, fangs bared and claws raised to attack. She screamed and backed away. Xander jumped in and whacked the monster across the face with the butt of his rifle, knocking it down and out.
“I suggest we get inside before we come across anything--”
“A DEMON! A DEMON!” Willow hid behind Xander. “A DEMON!”
An SUV drove down the street. “That’s not a demon. It’s a car,” Buffy said, rolling her eyes.
“What does it want?”
“Is this woman insane?”
“She’s never seen a car.”
“She’s never seen a car?”
“She thinks she’s from the past.”
“And you’re a ghost.”
“Yes! Now let’s get inside.”
“I just want you to know I'm taking a lot on faith here. Where do we go?”
“Where’s the closest…we can go to my house.”
****
Xander opened her kitchen door and scanned the room. “All clear!”
“Hello? Mom?” Nothing. “Good, she left.”
Xander closed the door. “Where are we?”
“My place. Now we just need to--”
Something banged on the front door. Xander went to investigate.
“Don’t open it!”
“Could be a civilian.”
“Or a demon.”
“I, I don't understand any of this! I don't like this place, and I don't like you, and I just wanna go home!”
“It isn’t safe to leave!”
Willow looked ready to cry.
“I just had to show her that dress.”
Xander scanned the outside through one of the small windows in the door. He moved away just as a monster punched through the glass and reached for him. It pulled its hand back when Xander raised his M-16.
“Not a civilian!”
“Affirmative!” He took aim through the broken window.
“Hey! No shooting!”
Xander let loose a volley of bullets. Buffy winced at the noise. Willow bowed her head and covered her ears. Xander rolled away from the door when he finished the burst.
“Big noise scare monster, remember?”
“Got it.”
A woman screamed outside. Xander looked out. “Damn it!” He opened the door and went out to rescue her.
“Surely he’ll not desert us!”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She went to the living room
****
Cordelia screamed, running from a furry beast. “Somebody help me!” She looked back at the monster and screamed again. Then ran into Xander. “Xander! Help me!”
“Come inside!” He took her elbow and led her to the house.
“Cordelia!”
“Wait a…what’s going on?”
“Your name is Cordelia, you're not a cat, you're in high school, and we're your friends. Sort of.”
“Cute, Buffy. And you went mental when?”
“You know us?”
“Yeah. Lucky me. What’s with the name game?”
“A lot’s going on.”
“No kidding. I was just attacked by Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy. Look at my costume! Do you really think Party Town's gonna give me my deposit back? Not on the likely.”
Xander put his shirt around her shoulders. “Here.”
“Thanks.”
“Okay. You guys stay here while I get help. If something tries to get in, fight it off.”
“Well, i-it's not our place to fight. Uh, surely some men will protect us.”
“What’s that riff?”
“I think it’s a spell. They don’t know who they are. Just sit tight.”
“Who died and made her the boss?”
Buffy walked through the wall behind Cordelia.
****
Several monsters were chasing people down the street past Spike in vamp face.
“Well! This is just…neat!”
****
Angel entered the Summers’ house through the kitchen. “Oh, good! You guys are alright. It’s total chaos out there Where’s Buffy?”
“Who are you?” Willow and Xander asked.
****
Giles was going through a stack of cards he pulled from the card catalog. Hearing yelling and sirens outside, he looked up, wondering what was going on.
Buffy came though the wall and he jumped in complete surprise, letting the cards fly all over the place. “Geeze!”
“Hi.”
“Uh…ah…huh…”
****
“Okay, somebody wanna fill me in?”
“Do you live here?” Xander asked.
“No, and you know that. Willow, I’m lost here. You… What’s up with your hair?” Instead of straight auburn locks, her hair was wavy brown and very long.
“They don't know who they are, everyone's turned into a monster, it's a whole big thing.” Cordelia smiled at Angel. “How are you?”
The lights went out. Willow grabbed Cordelia.
“Do you mind?”
Willow let go.
“You take the princess and secure the kitchen. Catwoman, you're with me,” Xander said. Cordelia followed him.
“But I don't wanna go with you! I-I like the man with the musket!”
Angel took Willow’s arm. “C’mon.”
“Do you have a musket?”
The kitchen door is open. “I didn’t leave that open.”
He quietly moved toward the door, looking around for an intruder. He closed the door. The basement door behind Willow opened, and a vampire attacked her. She tried to push the door closed on him. Angel grabbed the vampire and wrestled him to the floor.
It was the student escort in a vampire costume.
“A stake!”
“A what?”
“Get me a stake!”
Willow looked around and grabbed a knife from the counter.
“Hurry up!” Angel turned to her and she saw his game face.
She screamed and ran out the door.
“Willow, no!”
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